“…writer and director Pete Docter of Pixar reached out to us to talk over an idea for a film that would portray how emotions work inside a person’s head and at the same time shape a person’s outer life with other people. He wanted to do this all in the mind of an 11-year-old girl as she navigated a few difficult days in her life…. We ended up serving as scientific consultants for the movie, Inside Out, which was recently released.” D. Keltner and P. Ekman, The New York Times

“Our conversations with Mr. Docter and his team were generally about the science related to questions at the heart of the film: How do emotions govern the stream of consciousness? How do emotions color our memories of the past? What is the emotional life of an 11-year-old girl like? (Studies find that the experience of positive emotions begins to drop precipitously in frequency and intensity at that age.)

Riley’s personality is principally defined by Joy, and this is fitting with what we know scientifically. Studies find that our identities are defined by specific emotions, which shape how we perceive the world, how we express ourselves and the responses we evoke in others.

But the real star of the film is Sadness, for “Inside Out” is a film about loss and what people gain when guided by feelings of sadness. Riley loses friends and her home in her move from Minnesota.

Image from film Inside:Out-Disney

Emotions organize — rather than disrupt — rational thinking. Traditionally, in the history of Western thought, the prevailing view has been that emotions are enemies of rationality and disruptive of cooperative social relations.

The Science of Inside Out-Credit Gérard DuBois-NYT

We see this in “Inside Out.” Sadness gradually takes control of Riley’s thought processes about the changes she is going through. This is most evident when Sadness adds blue hues to the images of Riley’s memories of her life in Minnesota. Scientific studies find that our current emotions shape what we remember of the past. Other studies find that it is anger (more so than a sense of political identity) that moves social collectives to protest and remedy injustice.”

Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and learning new vocabulary. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing.

I. Pre-Reading Activities

Predictions: Analyzing headings and photos

Directions:Have studentsexamine the titles of the post and of the actual article. After they examine the photos, ask students to create a list of words andideasthat they think might be related to this article.

II. While Reading Tasks

Word Inference

Directions: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

More poignantly, she has entered the preteen years.

We do have some quibbles with the portrayal of sadness.

Sadness is seen as a drag.

How do emotions govern the stream of consciousness?

The film is about how five emotions grapple for control of the mind of an 11-year-old girl.

Riley’s personality is principally defined by Joy.

The film showsthe full array of emotions.

An angry outburst causes Riley to storm upstairs.

Sadness leads Riley to reunite with her parents.

“Inside Out” offers a new approach to sadness.

Vocabulary Organizer by Against the Odds

Reading Comprehension: Fill-ins

Directions: Place students in groups and after they have read the entire article, have them complete the following paragraphs taken from the article. They can use the words and terms from the list provided, or provide their own terms. They are to find the meanings of any new vocabulary.

Other ___find that it is___(more so than a sense of
political identity) that___social collectives to protest and
remedy injustice. Research that one of us has ___has
found that expressions of ___trigger others to ___when we’ve
acted in ways that momentarily violate social norms.
This insight, too, is___ in the movie. You might be
___to think of sadness as a state defined by inaction and
passivity — the ___of any purposeful action. But in “Inside
Out,” as in real life, ___prompts people to unite in response
to loss.

Directions: Have students choose a picture from this lesson and write a descriptive paragraph using adjectives.

III. Post Reading Tasks

WH-How Questions

Directions: Have students use the WH-question format to discuss or to write the main points from the article.

Who or What is the article about?
Where does the action/event take place?
When does the action/event take place?
Why did the action/event occur?
How did the action/event occur?

Discussion/Writing Exercise

Directions: Place students in groups and have them answer the following questions. Afterwards, have the groups share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the following discussion topics.
1.The following statements were taken from the article. Rephrase each statement in your own words, then discuss the meaning with the members of your group.

“We do have some quibbles with the portrayal of sadness in “Inside Out.” Sadness is seen as a drag, a sluggish character that Joy literally has to drag around through Riley’s mind. In fact, studies find that sadness is associated with elevated physiological arousal, activating the body to respond to loss. And in the film, Sadness is frumpy and off-putting. More often in real life, one person’s sadness pulls other people in to comfort and help.”

“But the truth is that emotions guide our perceptions of the world, our memories of the past and even our moral judgments of right and wrong, most typically in ways that enable effective responses to the current situation. For example, studies find that when we are angry we are acutely attuned to what is unfair, which helps animate actions that remedy injustice.”

2. Which emotion is the most constant in your character? (e.g., anger, happiness, sadness,) Why do you think you feel this way most of the time?

3-2-1-Writing

Directions: Allow students 5 minutes to write down three new ideas they’ve learned about emotions from the reading, two things they did not understand in the reading, and one thing they would like to know that the article did not mention. Review the responses as a class.

ESL Voices is in the process of creating a section for Guest teachers.

There are many teachers who have wonderful and creative ways of teaching either second language learners or native English speakers. We realize that many excellent native English lesson plans are great starting points for ESL lessons at all levels. Hence we plan to accept and present both ESL and native English lesson plans. We’d like to share as many of these lessons and ideas as possible with other teachers. Teaching plans that are selected will be given full credit.In addition,sharing links to teaching sites is a wonderful way to build communications. So if you have a teaching website (your own or the institution where you work) please include it!This is also away for teachers new to the field to become acquainted with ESL methods.

We’ll be selecting approximately 2- 3 lessons per month, and each submission will be reviewed before posting. Teachers will be notified in advanced if their lesson plan is chosen.

The following information providesguidelines for teachers to send their lessons to behighlighted on the ESL Voices teaching site.

Lesson plan should be no longer than 1 web page (say, up to 3-4typed physicalpages) and should include the following guidelines.

Your name (or initials)

Email (this will not be visible to the public)

Website link (optional)

Level of students targeted by the plan ( K-elementary, High school to Advanced)

Language Skillfocus(E.g., speaking, listening, reading, writing)

Topic ( Your favorite)

Time: Approximately how long will the activity take to complete? (e.g., 1-2 hours)

Materials: (if required)

Objective: What will students learn from this lesson?

You do not have to include an answer key, however, pleaseinclude the source material on which your lesson is based. For example, a news article ( include the name of the paper and author) book excerpt (name and author) etc.

“One night, when her face turned puffy and painful from what she thought was a sinus infection, Jessica DeVisser briefly considered going to an urgent care clinic, but decided to try something kind of sci-fi. She went online and requested a virtual consultation. She typed in her symptoms and credit card number, and within half an hour, a doctor appeared on her screen via Skype. He looked her over, asked some questions and agreed she had sinusitis. In minutes, Ms. DeVisser, a stay-at-home mother, had an antibiotics prescription called in to her pharmacy.” A. Goodnough- New York Times

“The same forces that have made instant messaging and video calls part of daily life for many Americans are now shaking up basic medical care. Health systems and insurers are rushing to offer video consultations for routine ailments, convinced they will save money and relieve pressure on overextended primary care systems in cities and rural areas alike. And more people like Ms. DeVisser, fluent in Skype and FaceTime and eager for cheaper, more convenient medical care, are trying them out.

Dr. Ben Green, a physician who helped develop the telemedicine program at Carena, a company that offers virtual visits. Credit Evan McGlinn The New York Times

But telemedicine is facing pushback from some more traditional corners of the medical world. Medicare, which often sets the precedent for other insurers, strictly limits reimbursement for telemedicine services out of concern that expanding coverage would increase, not reduce, costs. Some doctors assert that hands-on exams are more effective and warn that the potential for misdiagnoses via video is great.

Legislatures and medical boards in some states are listening carefully to such criticisms, and a few, led by Texas, are trying to slow the rapid growth of virtual medicine. But many more states are embracing the new world of virtual house calls, largely by updating rules to allow doctor-patient relationships to be established and medications to be prescribed via video.

Advocates say virtual visits for basic care could reduce costs over the long term…Even as virtual visits multiply, researchers say it is not clear whether they really save money or provide better outcomes… Ms. DeVisser turned out to be one of those cases. While happy with her virtual visit last summer, she ended up going to her primary care doctor a few weeks later because the antibiotics had not fully cleared up her sinus problems. At least it mitigated the problem, she said of her video consultation.”

Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and learning new vocabulary. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing.

I. Pre-Reading Activities

KWL Chart

The K-W-L chart is used to activate students’ background knowledge of a topic in order to enhance their comprehension skills.

Directions: Have students use the KWL chart to list the information they already know about doctors making diagnosis over the web. Later in the Post- Reading segment of the lesson, students can fill in what they’ve learned about the topic.Students can use this colorful chart by Creately.com

KWL Chart from Creately.com

II. While Reading Tasks

Word Inference

Directions: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart by Freeology for assistance.

Instant messaging and video calls are part of daily life for many Americans.

There are strict limits for reimbursement concerning telemedicine services.

Some doctors assert that hands-on exams are more effective.

Advocates say virtual visits for basic care could reduce costs.

It’s plausible, that people who do a virtual visit would otherwise have stayed home.

Even as virtual visits multiply, researchers say it is not clear whether they really save money.

Carena, a private company in Seattle employs 17 physicians to do virtual consultations.

Freeology Chart

Reading Comprehension : Word -Recognition

Directions: Students choose the correct word to complete the sentences taken from the article. They are to choose from the options presented.

While/will telemedicine consult/consultations have been/being around for decades, they have mostly connected/connect specialists/special with patients in remote/remove areas, who almost always had to visitation/visit a clinic or hospital for the videoconference. The difference know/now is that patients can be wherever they want/wish and use their own smartphones or table/tablets for the visits, which are trending toward more basic care.

Grammar Focus: Structure and Usage

Directions: The following groups of sentences are from the article. One of the sentences in each group contains a grammaticalerror. Students are to identify the sentence (1, 2, or 3 ) from each group that contains the grammatical error.

I

More people are fluent in Skype and FaceTime.

More states is embracing the new world of virtual house calls.

Health systems are facing stiff competition.

II

Telemedicine consultations have been around on decades.

Patients can use their own smartphones or tablets for the visits.

Mount Sinai in New York is starting to offer video visits for primary care patients.

III

Some large insurers is starting to pay, too.

Virtual urgent care visits are undoubtedly less expensive.

Users are prescribed medication about 40 percent of the time.

III. Post Reading Tasks

WH-How Questions

Directions: Have students use theWH-question format to discuss or to write the main points from the article.

Who or What is the article about?

Where does the action/event take place?

When does the action/event take place?

Why did the action/event occur?

How did the action/event occur?

Discussion/Writing Exercise

Directions: Place students in groups and have them answer the following questions. Afterwards, have the groups share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the following discussion topics.

1. The followingtwo statements were taken from the article. Rephrase each statement in your own words, then discuss the meaning with the members of your group.

“Advocates say virtual visits for basic care could reduce costs over the long term. It is cheaper to operate telemedicine services than brick-and-mortar offices, allowing companies to charge as little as $40 or $50 for consultations — less than for visits to emergency rooms, urgent care centers and doctors’ offices.”

“They also say that by letting people talk to a doctor whenever they need to, from home or work, virtual visits make for more satisfied and potentially healthier patients than traditional appointments that are available only at certain times.”

Directions: Allow students 5 minutes to write down three new ideas they’velearned about the topic from the reading,two things they did not understand in the reading, and one thing they would like to know that the article did not mention. Review the responses as a class.

“Excessive use of computer games among young people in China appears to be taking an alarming turn and may have particular relevance for American parents whose children spend many hours a day focused on electronic screens. The documentary “Web Junkie,” to be shown next Monday on PBS, highlights the tragic effects on teenagers who become hooked on video games, playing for dozens of hours at a time often without breaks to eat, sleep or even use the bathroom. Many come to view the real world as fake.” J. E. Brody-NYT

“Chinese doctors consider this phenomenon a clinical disorder and have established rehabilitation centers where afflicted youngsters are confined for months of sometimes draconian therapy, completely isolated from all media, the effectiveness of which remains to be demonstrated.

While Internet addiction is not yet considered a clinical diagnosis here, there’s no question that American youths are plugged in and tuned out of “live” action for many more hours of the day than experts consider healthy for normal development.

Parents should be aware. Photo parentsware.com

And it starts early, often with preverbal toddlers handed their parents’ cellphones and tablets to entertain themselves when they should be observing the world around them and interacting with their caregivers.

Parents, grateful for ways to calm disruptive children and keep them from interrupting their own screen activities, seem to be unaware of the potential harm from so much time spent in the virtual world.

Screen addiction at young age.Photo telegraph.co.uk

Children who are heavy users of electronics may become adept at multitasking, but they can lose the ability to focus on what is most important, a trait critical to the deep thought and problem solving needed for many jobs and other endeavors later in life.

There can be physical consequences, too. Children can develop pain in their fingers and wrists, narrowed blood vessels in their eyes (the long-term consequences of which are unknown), and neck and back pain from being slumped over their phones, tablets and computers.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

Level: Intermediate – AdvancedLanguage Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.Time: Approximately 2 hours. Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and learning new vocabulary. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing.

I. Pre-Reading Activities

Stimulating background knowledge: Brainstorming

Directions: Place students in groups, ask students to think about what they already know aboutthe topic.Next, have students look at the picture(s) in the text and generate ideas or words that may be connected to the article. Debrief as a class and list these ideas on the board. Students can use a brainstorming chart for assistance.

Brainstorming chart by UIE.

Word Inference

Directions: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

Chinese doctors consider this phenomenon a clinical disorder.

Often preverbal toddlers are handed their parents’ cellphones.

Parents aregrateful for ways to calm disruptive children.

Some children seem destined to suffer the negative effects of video-game overuse.

There’s no conversation anymore.

They need time todeal with their anxieties.

Children can lose the ability to focus on what is most important.

Texting looms as the next national epidemic.

When not texting, children begin to feel more lonely and depressed.

There can be physical consequences, too.

Color Vocabualry Map by Enchanted Learning

True /False/NA-Statements

Directions: Review the following statements from the reading. If a statement is true they mark it T. If the statement is not applicable, they mark it NA. If the statement is false they mark it F and provide the correct answer.

Spanish doctors consider this phenomenon a clinical disorder.

American youths are plugged in and tuned out of “live” action.

It starts late often with adults.

China has the most adolescent video users.

The average 8- to 10-year-old spends nearly 2 hours a day with a variety of different media.

Adults are not affected by excessive computer use.

Children should not be exposed to any electronic media, before age1.

Heavy use of electronic media can have significant negative effects on children’s behavior.

According to Dr. Steiner-Adair, kids need time to daydream,and deal with anxieties.

Directions: The following sentences are from the news article.For each sentence choose the correct preposition from the choices listed above. Note that not all prepositions listed are in the article.

Many parents seem ___have few rules ___use ___ media ___their children and adolescents.

Two-thirds ___ those questioned ___ the Kaiser study said their parents had no rules about how much time the youngsters spent ___media.

There can be physical consequences, too. Children can develop pain ___their fingers and wrists, narrowed blood vessels ___ their eyes (the long-term consequences of which are unknown), and neck and back pain ___being slumped over their phones, tablets and computers.

II. Post Reading Tasks

WH-How Questions

Directions: Have students use theWH-question format to discuss or to write the main points from the article.

Who or What is the article about?

Where does the action/event take place?

When does the action/event take place?

Why did the action/event occur?

How did the action/event occur?

Discussion/Writing Exercise

Directions: Place students in groups and have them answer the following questions. Afterwards, have the groups share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the following discussion topics.

1. The followingstatements were taken from the article. Rephrase each statement in your own words, then discuss the meaning with the members of your group.

“Heavy use of electronic media can have significant negative effects on children’s behavior, health and school performance. Those who watch a lot of simulated violence, common in many popular video games, can become immune to it, more inclined to act violently themselves and less likely to behave empathetically.”

“Teenagers who spend a lot of time playing violent video games or watching violent shows on television have been found to be more aggressive and more likely to fight with their peers and argue with their teachers, according to a study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.”

“Schoolwork can suffer when media time infringes on reading and studying. And the sedentary nature of most electronic involvement — along with televised ads for high-calorie fare — can foster the unhealthy weights already epidemic among the nation’s youth.”

2. How much time do you spend in front of your computer screen?

3. Do you agree that young children and teens should not spend do much time at their computers?Provide reasons for your answer.

3-2-1-Writing

Directions: Allow students 5 minutes to write down three new ideas they’velearned about the topic from the reading,two things they did not understand in the reading, and one thing they would like to know that the article did not mention. Review the responses as a class.

“In a long-sought victory for the gay rights movement, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in the 5 to 4 decision. He was joined by the court’s four more liberal justices.” A. Liptak, New York Times

“The decision, the culmination of decades of litigation and activism, came against the backdrop of fast-moving changes in public opinion, with polls indicating that most Americans now approve of same-sex marriage. Justice Kennedy said gay and lesbian couples had a fundamental right to marry.

Married with Pride. abcnews

No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family…In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were…As Justice Kennedy finished announcing his opinion, several attendees seated in the bar section of the court’s gallery wiped away tears, while others grinned.

Married with Pride. gb.locinews

Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired in 2010, was on hand for the decision and many of the justices’ clerks took seats in the chamber, which was nearly full as the ruling was announced.

The Obama administration, which had gradually come to embrace the cause of same-sex marriage, was unequivocal in urging the justices to rule for the plaintiffs.

Directions:Have studentsexamine the titles of the post and of the actual article. After they examine the photos, ask students to create a list of words andideasthat they think might be related to this article.

Word Inference

Directions: Students are to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. They may use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

The decision took decades of litigation.

Polls indicate that most Americans approve of same-sex marriage.

Justice Kennedy said gay and lesbian couples had a fundamental right to marry.

Gay men and womendo not disrespect the idea of marriage.

Thejustice’s opinion is couched in a style that ispretentious.

Celebrate the opportunity for a new expression of commitment.

The Supreme Court had moved cautiously.

They methodically made careful judicial decisions.

The court did not agree to resolve the issue until January.

The Obama administration come to embrace the cause of same-sex marriage.

Reading Comprehension: Fill-ins

Directions: Place students in groups and after they have read the entire article, have them complete the following paragraphs taken from the article. They can use the words and terms from the list provided, or provide their own terms. They are to find the meanings of any new vocabulary.

The court did not ___to ___the issue for the rest of the ___until January, in cases filed by ___and lesbian couples in Kentucky, Michigan, ___and Tennessee. The court heard extended arguments in April, and the ___seemed sharply ___over what the ___has to say about same-sex marriage. ___for the ___said their clients had a ___right to marry and to equal protection, adding that the bans they ___demeaned their dignity, imposed countless practical difficulties and___particular harm on their children.

Directions: Have students use theWH-question format to discuss or to write the main points from the article.

Who or What is the article about?

Where does the action/event take place?

When does the action/event take place?

Why did the action/event occur?

How did the action/event occur?

Discussion/Writing Exercise

Directions: Place students in groups and have them answer the following questions. Afterwards, have the groups share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the following discussion topics.

1. The followingtwo statements were taken from the article. Rephrase each statement in your own words, then discuss the meaning with the members of your group.

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family…In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.”

“It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage, Justice Kennedy said of the couples challenging state bans on same-sex marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”

2. What are your thoughts about the ruling on same-sex marriage?

1-Minute Free Writing Exercise

Directions: Allow students 1 minute to write down one new idea they’ve learned from the reading. Ask them to write down one thing they did not understand in the reading.Review the responses as a class. Note: For the lower levels allow more time for this writing activity.